Fundamental & Natural

Massage is probably the oldest, most natural and importantly, the least intellectual therapy: Your instinctual reaction to pain, stiffness, tiredness, emotional concerns, cold and even heat, is to rub; press; hold or squeeze the area concerned. Consider how you would comfort a distressed or injured child. Massage is the fundamental therapy.

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Style

Oriental massage therapy comes by many names: Shi-Atsu (指圧 finger-pressure); Do-In (導引 guiding-pulling); An-Ma (按摩 holding-rubbing) Tui-Na (推拏 pushing-holding)…

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However, more important than technique or style, is that the practitioner has tactile sensitivity and a strong foundation in the principles of oriental medicine.

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Traditional Learning

The traditional apprentice will spend the first year or two working only with their hands. Massaging, pressing, rubbing. Unencumbered by a needle or other tool, we are free to become familiar with the terrain of the body: the contours, the tonus and texture of the muscles and skin, temperature variations, anomalies and relationships.

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Developing sensitivity and tactile knowledge is necessary for successful location and palpation of your meridians and acupuncture points; and for the arts of pulse and abdominal diagnosis.

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Intrinsic Value

The apprentice will then progress to work with tools. In the same way that a sword or staff is merely the extension of the martial artist’s hand, so the acupuncture needle, rubbing tool, suction-cup or moxa cone are extensions of the oriental doctor’s sensitivity and manipulation skill. These tools have no intrinsic healing nature of their own. Massage can then be considered the foundation for all modalities of oriental medicine (with the exception of herbal/dietary treatment).

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At Genki Clinic we use massage and palpation together with acupuncture and moxa as our main modalities to treat you. In addition to its direct therapeutic effect, massage draws your subconscious to areas which require attention and relaxation.